Buried archeological remains connected to the Greek-Roman harbor at Tindari (north-east Sicily): results from geomorphological and geophysical investigations

Carla Bottari Carla Bottari,Marco Marchetti Marco Marchetti,Francesco Pizzolo Francesco Pizzolo,Maria D'amico Maria D'Amico,Stefano Urbini Stefano Urbini,Marcello Bianca Marcello Bianca

doi:10.4401/ag-4656

Carla Bottari Carla Bottari, Marco Marchetti Marco Marchetti + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-4656

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Abstract

<span style="font-size: small;"><p>In recent years, detailed geoarcheological investigations have been carried out to search for traces of the ancient Tindari harbor (north-east Sicily, Italy). A digital terrain model supported the hypothesis that 2,000 yr ago the Oliveri Basin was a suitable landing place that was protected from prevailing winds. This model was generated from uplift data, sea level changes, historical cartographic data and three-dimensional reconstruction of the sedimentary succession of the cover. The present position of some historical buildings represent an archeological marker of the shoreline progression. Recent excavations during the construction of the Messina-to-Palermo motorway brought to light some portions of an ancient archeological complex. The thickness of the walls and the volume of the collected archeological material suggests dating between the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD. After that time, heavy environmental changes due to human activities in the area led to inaccurate underestimation of the role of Tindari harbor in the past. A geophysical investigation was carried out in the area surrounding the archeological complex to search for new buried structures related to the ancient settlement, and to be open to any results of the paleotopographic reconstruction of the area. The applied geophysical techniques included passive seismic and ground-penetrating radar. This survey indicates the presence of buried structures, such as walls and floors, that probably belong to a Roman villa. Furthermore, it defines the depth of the Holocene sedimentary cover of the Oliveri coastal plain, which strengthens the hypothesis formulated for its morphological evolution.</p></span>

Highlights

A recent survey carried out as part of a study of the geomorphological evolution of the Oliveri coastal plain supports the hypothesis that Tindari harbor was located south-east of the Tindari Promontory, between the castle and Carruba Valley (Figure 1b) [Bottari et al 2009a, 2009b]
The main goal of the present geophysical investigation was to test the reliability of this digital terrain model (DTM) through passive seismic methods. These were based on horizontal-to-vertical spectra ratios (HVSRs) and used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to locate further buried archeological structures that were linked
On the Oliveri coastal plain, which was designed to define the main stratigraphy of the area and to find any new archeological structures connected to the ancient harbor activities (Figures 1b, 4)

Summary

Introduction

A recent survey carried out as part of a study of the geomorphological evolution of the Oliveri coastal plain supports the hypothesis that Tindari harbor was located south-east of the Tindari Promontory, between the castle and Carruba Valley (Figure 1b) [Bottari et al 2009a, 2009b]. 1. Introduction A recent survey carried out as part of a study of the geomorphological evolution of the Oliveri coastal plain supports the hypothesis that Tindari harbor was located south-east of the Tindari Promontory, between the castle and Carruba Valley (Figure 1b) [Bottari et al 2009a, 2009b]. Promontory and the Oliveri coastal plain was based on Holocene uplifted and submerged notches that indicate past sea levels (Figure 2).

Results

Conclusion